Animal Husbandry Care Attendant (Spy Hill Campus), Animal Support Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Position Overview

The Animal Support Unit within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is currently seeking for 2 Full-Time Limited-Term Animal Husbandry Care Attendant(s) at Spy Hill Campus for approximately 1 year. 

Reporting to the Manager Animal Support Unit (ASU), the recurring part-time Animal Husbandry Care Attendant provides routine husbandry care of the teaching and research animals housed at the Veterinary Sciences Research Station, the Clinical Skills Building, and at other facilities that are part of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (e.g. Wildlife Research Station and Quarantine Barn).

The Animal Husbandry Care Attendant works as a member of the ASU team, or independently, as required. The position is physically demanding (heavy lifting and long periods of standing are required), and requires attention to detail and maintenance of confidentiality.

This recurring part-time position will work an irregular schedule (i.e.: weekdays, weekends, statutory holidays, and leave coverage) and hours (i.e.: minimum shifts of 3 hours per day but can be up to 7 hours per day). Work shifts can be at the Veterinary Sciences Research Centre, Quarantine Barn, Clinical Skills Building, or Wildlife Research Centre, and attendance or participation in events at the Foothills Campus may be required as part of the job.

Animal husbandry care must be in compliance with University Animal Welfare Committee and Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) standards. Failure to do so could impact animal husbandry care and research outcomes. 

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Follow CCAC and University guidelines to ensure that animals are in a fed, clean, and safe state
• Judgment is required when monitoring changes in animal behaviour and when seeking problem-solving assistance
• May refer matters to the AHT or Veterinarian
• Ensure that facilities are clean and safe, and that faculty, students, staff, and other users are safe from physical or other harm caused by the teaching and research animals
• Provide animal husbandry care for all species of laboratory animals used in research, which includes feeding, watering and changing cages following strict safety guidelines for prevention of exposure to disease
• Monitor and assess general animal health, and reports problems to the AHT or Veterinarian
• Provide basic treatment for animals under direction of the Veterinarian
• May be required to administer oral medications and assist with other basic treatment activities
• May be required to assist in the development, preparation, and delivery of teaching activities and materials for the undergraduate and graduate programs of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
• Provide custodial duties to maintain facility sanitation procedures
• Interact with facility users in a pleasant and respectful manner
• Ensure at all times that work complies with animal, facility and good laboratory standards
• Keep supervisor informed of activities and seeks problem solving assistance where required, as well as bringing forward suggestions for more efficient operation of the facility
• Responsible for operation and up-keep of equipment (e.g. laminar flow cabinets, ventilated caging systems, autoclave, bob cat, quad) under safety guidelines.
• Receive and set up incoming animals; responsible for shipping animals, supplies, or any other required materials to other locations as directed by the operations manager or other designated individuals
• May be required to assist with ordering and maintenance of animals, and other supplies required for the facility
• Record keeping is required for a variety of tasks including identification/tagging of new animals, weaning and recording of as well as unscheduled deaths
• Work with chemicals safely and properly, e.g. dilutions, using appropriate containers and protective gear
• Responsible for keeping skills up-to-date and taking courses that will assist in personal and professional development
• Ensure supplies are kept stocked in a timely manner to ensure continuous availability
• Maintain confidentiality and adhere to safety regulations at all times

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Evidence of an ability to work with animals (coming from previous relevant training programs or previous work experience) is required
• Past animal husbandry care experience in a research or other relevant scientific / institutional setting, and with a variety of species, is considered an asset
• Relevant experience in a research / scientific / institutional setting includes veterinary clinics and university / research animal care facilities
• Past animal husbandry care experience in non-research facilities may be considered in the absence of the above noted qualifications. These non-research facilities include SPCs, other animal care organization, zoos, and farm hand experience
• Must be organized, responsible, and able to work independently
• Demonstrated ability to function as a productive team member is also necessary
• Require fluency in written and oral English, strong communication skills to facilitate interaction with facilities users, and good attention to detail to ensure standard operating procedures are followed
• Must not have any known animal allergies that will interfere with their ability to perform the required tasks

Application Deadline: February 21, 2023

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

Additional Information

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Technical Job Family, Phase I.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.